Fourth member of scandal-hit Japanese cabinet resigns
GuardianNov 29, 2022
The Facts
On Tuesday, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida accepted the resignation of the minister for reconstruction, Kenya Akiba, amid allegations that he mishandled political and election funds and has ties to the controversial Unification Church — marking the fourth cabinet minister to leave in two months.
After meeting with Kishida, Akiba told reporters that he made "a heavy decision and submitted [his] resignation," though he has repeatedly claimed that he never violated any of the laws of which he's being accused.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Yet again, one of PM Kishida's cabinet appointments has had to step down after facing accusations of financial and political misconduct, only this time, minister Akiba had faced public accusations dating all the way back to last year. Kishida has repeatedly allowed his corrupt cabinet members to remain in their positions despite public scandals, so it's about time that the nation's leader considers taking smarter and swifter action going forward.
Pro-establishment narrative
Despite these unforeseen public relations roadblocks, PM Kishida has retained his focus on providing what the Japanese people need, which is more defense spending while trying to ease the financial pains brought about by inflation. As Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's growing regional presence spook the nation, Kishida is working toward tackling each of these issues cautiously.
